Family Faith Formation Registration

November 12, 2020
St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

Dear Parents of St. Boniface Parish and St. Meinrad Parish,

I hope that you and your family continue to persevere as the days of the fall semester unfold both in gift and in mystery. As you may recall, in late summer and recently in the occasional bulletin column, comments shared during homilies, and at the end of Mass, the fall semester has had its share of unique challenges when considering the resources needed to animate our parish-based Faith Formation Program. Over the last few years, we have bolstered our preschool through high school programs, including sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and Holy Communion and for high school students preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. In 2016, we adopted the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies series, a liturgically-based catechetical program that helps students and their parents participate and come to know the graces to live Christ-like and to share in His mission rooted in the Word of God sacraments of the Church and in the ministry of charity.

I am happy to announce that the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies series and all youth sacramental preparation programs are now available digitally, including new editions to the series that take into consideration all styles of learning. Students and parents can now work together during this time of unprecedented opportunities for learning and living out of faith as Catholics. The Family Catechesis - The Gospel for All Ages program is an app driven platform for parents to learn more about their faith, while creating a positive learning environment. The app allows parents, as the first educators of their children, to view the weekly Gospel lesson with Opening Prayer, age appropriate videos, activities and discussion questions with their children. The previous model of the Faith Formation Program, pre COVID-19, afforded the young church to gather regularly in-person for weekly lessons led by a catechist with other volunteers serving and aides in classrooms. This model has served us well. The Family Catechesis - The Gospel for All Ages series, our new model for at-home learning, allows families to learn about their Catholic faith together as the domestic Church, all based on the upcoming Sunday Gospel message.

Parents’ Next Steps: Enroll your child via the form below. Once enrolled, you will receive a text message providing email address(es) that will serve as unique access codes and are necessary to register for the digital edition of the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies accessable at this app https://pflaum.zinioapps.com/sign-up. There will be one email address (access code) per child, therefore, you must register each child individually. Parent Teaching Pages, weekly videos and additional resources are available at https://www.pflaumweeklies.com/family/. Learn more about Pflaum Gospel Weeklies Digital Edition.

In the meantime, an interim Faith Formation Coordinator is being sought out to serve as a primary contact for families during this time of transition and onboarding the digital edition of the Pflaum Gospel Weeklies series and all youth sacramental preparation programs. Resource catechists and animators for family faith groups are also needed for weekly check-in and to guide the weekly discussion questions. Thank you for your patience through this process. I am pleased that we can move forward together with these resources now available to all families. 

Thank you for your patience throughout the fall semester reshaping the possibilities for parish-based faith formation. Have a blessed, safe and spirit-filled Thanksgiving holiday.

Your in Christ, I am 

Father Anthony Vinson, OSB
Pastor